January 31st already!!!

I still can't believe how fast the first month of the new year has come and gone already.
I hope the rest of the year doesn't speed along quite that fast for I have so many things all lined up to accomplish.

Great News!! Mr. Brownbie is all well again.
His last "Septra" tablet was taken on Thursday, but he was already showing signs of a full recovery after two days on the medication.

 

 Here he is playing the "I can out-stare you" game with me after lunch.

 "I will win this game Mum...you know you lose all the time."
Yes, he did out stare me...I always end up laughing because his "serious as a judge" corky face is so funny after a while, I can't help but laugh.
YES we are headed into February....let's keep this 2016 party going strong, I'm hoping to post a lot more this year...fingers and toes crossed.

Thank goodness!

Today is Errol Barrow Day bank holiday here on the island.  All shops and offices are closed.
A day to spend with family and get some rest.
Yesterday Mr. Brownbie started vomiting which continued into the night.  It was then he started with diarrhea....neither of us got any sleep since he was up all night sick sick sick.
He paced and paced and paced and he just could not settle down not even for a moment.

 One worried sick mama and a sick bow wow.

I tried putting him to lay on the sofa with me, but he only stayed for a few minutes.
After giving him a few home remedies during the night, it seemed as his body was on the path to healing, but as the day dawned he continued to vomit and his stools became bloody, I immediately placed a call to my favourite vet at his home.
I felt a bit guilty because I'm sure he had looked forward to today's holiday to relax, and here I was calling him.
Once he heard my worried voice on the line, he simply said "Come on over and let's check the little one out."
Beast has a noise somewhere under the bonnet that he only makes when I'm driving and since he refuses to let the mechanic hear the noise, he is parked in the garage for the time being.
Daughter Dear came to my rescue and gave us a ride to see the good old doc.
The usual questions about Brownbie's health and eating habits, any poisons around the home....it was then the light bulb went off in my head....I think he may have ingested a snail that had eaten some of the blue snail pellets I had scattered around some of the plants that they were murdering in the garden...I certainly won't be doing that again.
An injection to settle his stomach and some tablets to take later, and we were on our way home.
I have been monitoring him all day and his body still has not settled down completely as yet, but at least he's on his way to recovery.
Thank goodness for Dr. Huey and his kind heart and healing hands and his willingness to attend to Brownbie on a bank holiday. 
Thank you Dr. Huey!!!  You are the best vet in the world!
Brownie sends you lots of grateful kissy kissy licks with lots and lots of love.
We are both so very very thankful for your care. 
Here is a link for toxins in the garden.

It's not my problem!

 Image from freedigitalphotos.net/images

We are all inter-connected in this world whether we like it or not.
Problems in other parts of the world affect us one way or another....like I said we are all inter-connected.
This world that we live on is our home....our one and only home....yet we continue to destroy it bit by bit.
Wars and more wars, and rumours of wars....is this all that we know now?
What happened to Peace and Love?
The news that terrorism is a serious threat and is spreading worldwide even to our little part of the woods was met with disbelief and indignation by a few commenters on a FaceBook page recently.
"Why would they bother to come here? We don't bother anyone. It's a big country problem....it's really not our problem."
I found this reasoning rather sad and selfish.
Then this story popped into my Inbox....so relevant.

SURE GLAD IT IS NOT MY PROBLEM... WELL THINK AGAIN.

A rat looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package. What food might it contain? He was aghast to discover that it was a rat trap. Retreating to the barnyard the rat proclaimed the warning; “There’s a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!”

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Excuse me, Mr. Rat, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
The rat turned to the pig and told him, “There’s a rat trap in the house, a rat trap in the house!” “I am so very sorry Mr. Rat,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured that you are in my prayers.”

The rat turned to the cow. She said, “Like wow, Mr. Rat. a rat trap. I am in grave danger. Duh?” So the rat returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s rat trap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a rat trap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. She returned home with a fever.
Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the barnyard for the soup’s main ingredient.

His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well. She died, and so many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.

Moral Of The Story: So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when there is a rat trap in the house, the whole barnyard’s at risk.
Not sure of the source of this story so couldn't acknowledge appropriately.

Birthday Lunch

As you already know, every year on our birthdays Daughter Dear and I find ourselves at a restaurant that we haven't tried out before.

Yesterday for her birthday lunch we visited "Wok Up" restaurant on the south coast.
Located upstairs Lanterns Mall in Hastings, Christ Church, the friendly staff treated us like treasured customers.
The service was impeccable, the food came quickly after our order was placed and the staff were so very very nice....this is how I remember the service in Barbados used to be back in the good old days.

Wok Up is a rice and noodle build a bowl restaurant. ...a very innovative concept.
I was instantly reminded of Kramer....you know Kramer right?
If there are any Seinfeld fans out there, you will remember when Kramer wanted to open a pizzeria where one builds your own pizza pie....was funny then but not so much now...the concept works.

Birthday girl with celebratory glass of wine.
Complained she doesn't get as much attention on my blog as Brownie so hence this beautiful photo.

Yes the Sprite is my celebratory drink.

Rice Noodles, Chicken and Green Curry for her.
Brown Rice, Fish and Green Curry for me.
The two hot chile peppers beside the Green Curry on the menu board didn't phase us at all.

Yes some of the fish traveled home with me for you know who.

Do you see how carefully she is holding that take-away bag?

The tasty portions were so big that we had to take some home with us.

Safely back downstairs, we both made a promise that we will definitely be returning to this lovely restaurant.
The lovely atmosphere, the friendly staff, the great food, the good prices, who could ask for more?
The online reviews are great too!
Kudos to the staff and management!!!
We'll be back.....and soon.

Brownie has written his own review:
Woof! Woof!!  Darn that fish was super tasty, wish I could go with Mum next time she goes to Wok Up.

After the delicious meal we headed over to "Four and Twenty Bakery" an upscale bakery and patisserie located in Wildey Industrial Park, where the cakes and pies are to die for.
After a  few minutes of careful decision Daughter Dear chose a gateau made of layers of white chocolate mousse, cake and a passion fruit topping.
I don't drink....but..........
You know I'm the Baileys spokesperson, so my choice was the mini Baileys cheesecake.
I'm so sorry that I forgot to take photos, but that's understandable because my poor brain was in overdrive being surrounded by so much good stuff to eat.
Reports are that the gateau was absolutely delicious "I should have bought two!"
The Baileys cheesecake was highly flavoured with the Irish cream liqueur and topped with cream and mini candy coffee beans....so freaking good..."I should have bought the entire tray!"

A wonderful day with wonderful food and wonderful company...what better way to spend a 36th????

Guess what?

Guess who is having a birthday today....AGAIN?
Yes, you're right, it's Daughter Dear's birthday....AGAIN!
Wow she is getting so old....will probably soon be getting a pension....tee hee hee.
Well my dearest child, I am wishing you a Happy Happy Birthday with all your hopes and dreams to come true in your future. 
A mother's love is ageless so don't worry I'll be loving you until you are no more.

 Happy Happy Birthday Nat!

With lots of love from Brownie and Mummy.

Saving energy

Sometime last year (maybe around July), I joined a queue of people awaiting a LED bulb giveaway sponsored by the Department of Energy and our Light & Power Company.
Each householder was entitled to the giveaway provided you had a current electricity bill and your National ID card.

  

The bulbs are manufactured here on the island by Caribbean LED Lighting Inc.

Five LED bulbs were given to each patron in the giveaway.

After installing and using the bulbs for a few months, I realised that the claim of  "Up to 90% on lighting savings" was indeed true....I was so elated.

It was then that I decided to change all the bulbs both upstairs and downstairs to all LED bulbs.

As luck would have it, another energy initiative was introduced and I received bulbs for my daughter and my second home as well.

The only thing was that the bulbs in the giveaway were the individual screw in type, but I also needed the LED tube bulb for the kitchens. 

I had to" pull my pocket" this time around.

I trekked off to my favourite hardware store and purchased the LED tube for the light fixture in the kitchen upstairs.

 My friend Charles came by and with his re-wiring expertise, the new LED bulb was installed.

 

 This kitchen light is the one that is used most of the time, and I can tell you that the bill does not reflect this habit at all.

My electricity bill looks better every day as I seek out new ways to reduce my energy consumption.

I have placed my electrical gadgets on power strips which I only flip to the "on" switch when I am actually using the item.

All lights are kept off except when in use.

If only I can find a cheap way to reduce the energy consumption of my fridge without the use of solar panels, I would be the happiest woman alive!

This year I'll be looking into a "noiseless wind turbine/windmill system"...I've seen them being built by novices like myself on the internet...wish me luck.

Bath Day

A good day.

 

 I have no idea why Mum has put this cracker wrapper on my paw.

 

 Sometimes I truly believe that she is craz-eeee.

 

I'll play with it when I'm good and ready......

 

 ....like now.

 Any more crackers around?

 Mr. Brownie likes to play with wrappers after they're empty.  After a breakfast of crackers and cheese this morning, I placed the cracker wrapper on the floor beside him where he ignored it but still continued to eye it.
I picked the wrapper up and slid it on to his front left paw.
He continued to ignore it.
As soon as I turned and walked away, he was "savaging" the poor wrapper until he had torn two pieces off.
Who was he trying to fool?
Don't let that "Touched by an Angel" face drenched in sunshine fool you either, he was ready to play and was in a good mood.

A good mood.....a good day.....a good day for a bath.
He enjoyed the warm water from the hose and being soaped all over with a bar of Castile Cocoa Butter soap.
A final rinse off and a good rub down with the towel and he was as happy as a bug in a rug.
What is it with dogs after a bath.....they seem to take on a different persona...an extra dose of energy and love showered on me in licks and foot bumps with his head.
By the end of the evening he had rolled around in a pile of leaves but was still smelling clean...tomorrow is another day.

Day 9

Wow, I can't believe that it's already Day 9 of the new year.
Now that the Christmas season is officially over, I've realised that there are still some happenings that have been left out.
Christmas Eve night was a cold and windy night but I still attended the midnight mass service at my church.  It's something about that night time atmosphere that brings the manger scene and the birth of Christ so much closer for me.
Christmas Day itself was spent with my "family of friends" where I enjoyed the meal and the friendship and the joy of the season.  Daughter Dear was not feeling the best so she stayed at home but don't worry she enjoyed a large plate of goodies afterwards.

 

 There was lots of food and drink and my pink velvet cupcakes and apple cobbler were a big hit along with the quinoa veggie medley. 

With Carl missing from the celebrations, I made a special video for him to show him what he was missing. 
One of his sisters kept on eyeing me and insisting that she was sure that Carl was going to make an appearance because she knew that I was always involved in his surprises, but I told her not this time....sorry Diana.
Boxing Day is the day that I take flowers to the graves of my loved ones.
Daughter Dear was still not herself and so I set out on my own, little did I know that it would be a very upsetting journey.
My visit to "Mums" was fine, but as it was a Bank Holiday here, the public cemetery (Westbury) was closed so I could not visit with Steve.....annoyance number one. (I did take his flowers the following day.)
Off to the Military Cemetery to lay the flowers on my brother's grave, I was greatly disturbed to find that his headstone along with two others had been removed and placed to one side along a wall.....annoyance number two.

I could not fathom why this would have been done because I knew that once buried in the Military Cemetery the grave plot was yours for life.
I placed the flowers on the headstone and made a mental note to call the office first thing Monday morning.
The long drive to visit my Mum's grave was filled with all kinds of uneasy thoughts and I was really shaken up.
When I arrived at my Mum's grave what did I see....there had been a recent interment and I could not find my mother's grave marker at all.....annoyance number three.
I placed her flowers in the approximate area and made mental note number two to call the office on Monday morning.
It's bad enough having to deal with grief without having to go through all of this, I was rather upset, and I relayed my feelings to Daughter Dear when I arrived home.  With her calm reassuring wisdom she told me,"Just call on Monday and find out what's going on Mum."
So said so done.  On Monday morning bright and early I spoke with Mr. Boyce at The Main Guard responsible for the Military Cemetery and he explained that there had been a funeral at the cemetery and it had been necessary to remove the headstones for the funeral procession to take place.  He was under the impression that the headstones had been replaced and that he was very sorry.  He assured me that my brother's headstone would be replaced that day.
My next call to Coral Ridge Memorial Gardens was answered by a nice young lady who assured me that she would send someone out to my mother's grave site right away and rectify the problem, she apologised profusely. 
I hung up feeling so much better.
New Year's Day I was invited to lunch with my friends who live on the south coast and I had a lovely time.
I attended the last performance of the "The Singing Christmas Tree 2015 The Great I Am" on January 3rd.

The programme was filled with lots of new music with the Hallelujah Chorus as the finale.
Since I had a guest with me the usher thought she would move us further up for our seats.  Even though closer to the stage there was so much foot traffic and the angle for viewing was not as good as our previous seats, but I still enjoyed the show and to be honest it was even more inspiring for me.

Yes the season has ended but here are a few more photos of the season that I captured.

 

 

 

 

 We are in a new year, and it's day 9 and I haven't started any of my proposed projects for 2016 as yet, nor have I made any resolutions, but mark my word there is a lot to be done, and Brownie still has his job as Overseer, so hang on for another ride on the wild adventure of So Very Very Thankful!

Happy New Year to all!!

Update(01/12/2016): The headstone on my brother's grave has been replaced.

My Security Guard

Mr. Brownbie really looks after me....I can't say that any simpler or any better.
You already know that I don't like the white geckos living in the house...see here and here.
We call them "white lizards" here on the island.
I still haven't figured out why they migrate into the interior of the house instead of staying outdoors in the fresh cool breeze where there are many flies and gnats to consume.

Image borrowed from all-free-download.com

During my Christmas house cleaning I discovered another gecko in my office which seemed to have made itself totally "at home" including his messy bathroom habits.
I sprayed him and took him outside after he started to stumble around....he lost his tail in the process...yes they shed their tails during traumatic events....wish I had a tail I could have shed as well when he was traumatizing me...oh but I digress.
I had had a very good look at that one with his various markings and facial looks.
Thought he was gone for good....but noooooo!
I awake very early as you know and the first thing I do is head to my office and take care of emails and blog reads in the early morning quietude before the world wakes up.
Imagine my horror when I turned the light on in my office yesterday morning and there stood that same lizard on my wall with its fat bum and a grin on his face...I kid you not.  He had grown his tail back....yes they do that too.
Stepped quickly to the cupboard to get the BOP insecticide while keeping my eyes on that brute because they move very quickly.
I believe I must have startled him with the bright light so suddenly that he stood still as if he thought that would make him disappear.
The first burst of insecticide sent him scurrying into the corner where I sent another big burst of spray his way.
Sprayed him and sprayed him till he took cover behind my desk. Of course by then I'm sitting and working on my pc and keeping a wary eye out for the critter.
I settled into my work routine and then I heard him bashing around on the top shelf of my storage cupboard...he was really stomping around up there like a child that was having a tantrum...at least that's what it sounded like.
Next thing I know that brute jumped right off the shelf and headed my way.
With my shrill cry, Brownie my Security Guard was on his feet immediately.
When he saw what had made me scream, my brave boy took a long "gallop" towards that lizard on the floor and grabbed it in his mouth and ran off outside where he deposited it on the ground and promptly started to play with it like a cat plays with a mouse until it's dead.
I made sure the lizard was dead and tossed it away over the water course that runs along the side of my house.
I then made sure I gave Mr. Brownie a small dose of apple cider vinegar to counteract any toxins he may have swallowed from handling the sprayed lizard in his mouth.
I gave him a pat on his head  with a "Good Boy Brownie!" and he was as proud as a peacock.
Would you believe that his vet Dr.Huey called later in the afternoon to check on him to see how he was doing?
It's as if the two of them have some kinda ESP between them.
I am glad the lizard is finally gone....or is he?

Key Lime Pie Impostor

A girlfriend of mine had shared a large bag of limes with me a week ago.  I in turn had shared them with a few others.  What remained sat on the counter and I had no idea what I was going to do with them since I have to be extremely careful with acidic fruits.

 

 Ripe limes

Then it hit me, I would make a Key Lime Pie using the limes that I had been given.
I knew that I didn't want to use eggs in the recipe.
You see the internet?  The internet is such a resourceful tool.
I logged on and googled "Key Lime Pie no eggs" and a whole ton of recipes popped up....who would have thought?
I combined a few ideas from different recipes and came up with ingredients that I thought would work.
So it was I made a Key Lime Pie with no eggs.

I made my own crust using Shirley Biscuits and Digestive biscuits crushed together in a ziploc baggie using my marble rolling pin.
I combined the crushed biscuits with about 3oz of butter I had melted in the microwave in a small bowl.
Formed the crust in a dish and baked for 7 minutes in a 350 degree oven and allowed it to cool completely.
Squeezed all the limes (about 7 juicy limes) into the blender, added a tin of condensed milk, three small containers of plain unsweetened Greek yogurt (each 125g), a teaspoon of baking soda and a tablespoon of flour and blended them all together until smooth and creamy.
Poured the mixture into the cooled crust and baked for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.
The pie is not completely set at this stage, the refrigerator does the rest of the magic.
Allowed the pie to cool for a little while and then placed into the fridge to set for 3 hours....more even better.
I didn't think it would be nice or light or be the right consistency, but it was!!!  yes it was!!
A complete different method and leaving out the eggs....it was perfect.

 The taste was incredibly tangy which I loved.  I topped it with some cream cheese frosting.
Perfectly delicious!!!

The above photo shows what was left around 6pm yesterday evening but by 9pm it had died a natural death...both me and Brownbie enjoyed licking the lip puckering tangy goodness from our lips before bedtime....it was sooo good.

Key Lime Pie Impostor Ingredients
Digestive biscuits/Graham crackers - crushed - enough to make a single layer pie crust.
3 ounces melted butter
1 can condensed milk
1 cup of Greek Style yogurt - I used three small 125g pots of yogurt which was more than a cup but worked just fine.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon flour
3/4 cup of fresh lime juice

I see another pie on the horizon really soon.

The "bestest" friends EVER!

I don't know about you....but......I've got the "bestest" friends on the planet!
Yesterday my phone rang as I was about to run through the door to go to the supermarket...who could this be I wondered when I was in a hurry?
My girlfriend on the other end of the line, "I'm leaving the city now and I'm passing by you," she said.
"I was just about to head out, but I'll stay put until you get here," I replied.
In a few minutes, my doorbell rang and there she stood in my doorway heavily laden with two bags in her hands.
We hugged a great big hug for we had not seen each other for a while, and she placed those bags on the kitchen table and said, "I've brought these for you!"
I thanked her and we started a conversation of "catch up" as if we had only spoken the day before...no blame for not keeping in contact more often, but just a simple "pick up from where we left off" kinda conversation...I love that.
Supermarket forgotten we sat on the patio and chatted for a long while.
Mr. Brownie came out a few times and gave a few annoying little barks because his lunch time had slipped away ages ago, but being a good boy he would go off again and lie down quietly, only to return in another 20 minutes or so to let me know he was still unfed.
In a while, it was time for her to go and we wished each other our "take cares" and "blessed new years" and then she was gone.
I fed the hungry canine who eat voraciously and licked his lips afterwards like a wild wolf who had just killed and eaten a large ox...I guess that was to reinforce how hungry he had been and that I had fed him late....he's very smart that one.
I myself had a light lunch and then decided to open up the two large bags sitting on the table.
By the time I had taken everything out, all I could do was just sit at the kitchen table and cry.
She knew I had not baked my usual Christmas Black Cake because I had warned her that I wouldn't be doing so, as she is the first person that gets a portion of my cake rations....would you believe that she had brought me a Christmas black cake among so many other items....how kind and thoughtful of her.
As I messaged her to thank her and tell her that she had brought me to tears, she gently reminded me that I had done the same for her on several occasions...we always share what ever we have, great or small amounts, and it's so true...and I knew that the way I was feeling so full of thankfulness was the same feeling she felt when I gifted to her. 
And like my typical crazy friend she said, "Stop crying and enjoy!"
So today, I am enjoying a slice of Bajan Christmas Fruit cake.

 

 Thank you Susan!!!

A Happy New Year!!!

Well what do you know, the year 2016 has rolled itself on into my life and I am truly thankful that I am alive to see another year.
The season is not quite over, and there are still a few events to attend, but I'm still not feeling the magic that is Christmas.
I did attend the Christmas Eve night service at my church and sang some lovely carols but I didn't make it out to the Old Year's Night watch night service.  I had spent the day cleaning the driveway and weeding my front verge and thus was really too tired to attend, (sleeping in church is a no no for me), thus I fell off to sleep and only awoke when the fireworks started and the many pings of Whatsapp messages on my phone with well wishes for the new year.
With the tv turned up to cancel out the noise of the fireworks, my boy Brownie slept peacefully into the new year.
Yesterday, I was invited to lunch with my dear friends who live on the south coast near the beach.
It was a lovely day...a really BEE-YOU-TEE-FULLLL day....see for yourself.

 

 

 

Wishing all my friends and family a Happy, Healthy and Wealthy New Year!

I mean it, especially the Happy, Healthy and Wealthy bit.

May this year 2016 bring you a ton of "incredibleness" in every aspect of your life.